To recommend to Council the addition of a new capital budget to ensure the swift reopening of the Hereford leisure pool that has been closed since suffering from flooding in October 2019.

The cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets introduced the report. She noted the importance of the leisure pool to the whole community and the need to reopen as soon as possible. She also stated that this was not the right location for a pool for the longer term and alternative locations needed to be considered.

In discussion of the report cabinet members noted:

•               The importance of the pool to the whole community in Hereford and to the wider county;

•               The council’s insurers had confirmed that subject to work taking place they would continue to insure the pool building;

•               The works to the power supply should ensure that the pumping system was more resilient in the future and would mitigate against future flood events;

•               Advice had been sought from the council’s own experts and from the insurer to make sure that the works were appropriate, compliant with standards and that all due processes had been followed in costing the proposals;

•               Some of the repair work would have been necessary within the next couple of years but the opportunity was being taken to bring these forward alongside works required by the flooding;

•               The council would be explicitly taking account of risks arising from the increasing frequency and severity of significant weather events in future decision making.

Group leaders and representatives were invited to give the views and queries of their respective groups. Key points were noted as:

•               Finding an alternative site would be challenging and would take some time, in the meantime the importance of getting the existing site re-opened was recognised;

•               Regular maintenance of assets was important and the council should be mindful of what further works might need to be done on the current building in light of the amount of spend;

•               The tenant was involved in the process to agree the scope of works and were picking up their costs.

In addition to the recommendation set out in the report the cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets proposed that authority be delegated to the director for economy and place to progress procurement of the works.

The cabinet member finance and corporate services proposed an additional recommendation that a new location for the Hereford leisure pool be investigated as part of the update of the core strategy. The cabinet member commissioning, procurement and assets amended this to also include reference to the development of the leisure strategy.

Both additional recommendations were seconded by the cabinet member health and adult wellbeing.

It was agreed:

(a)          To recommend to Council the addition of a new capital budget to fund un-insured regulatory and essential works required at the Hereford leisure pool to be funded by existing budgets wherever possible and, failing that, new prudential borrowing not expected to exceed £505k;

(b)          that authority be delegated to the director for economy and place to procure and undertake the necessary works; and

(c)          that the review of the core strategy and leisure strategy considers the location of a leisure pool in Hereford.